Smart cities and urban areas—Aquaponics as innovative urban agriculture

Santos, Maria José Palma Lampreia Dos

doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2016.10.004

Cited by 82 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The great challenge nowadays is and will be in the coming decades meeting the increasing need for food production and distribution in big cities in a sustainable way [25,26]. "Organoponics" means aquaponics, and other low-input systems, as defined by Eigenbrod and Gruda [26], will continue to play an important role in sustainable and secure food production in the future.…”

Section: The State Of the Art Of Aquaponicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Commercial Aquaponics Approaching the European Market: To Consumers’ Perceptions of Aquaponics Products in Europe

Miličić

Thorarinsdottir

Santos

et al. 2017

Water

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Abstract:The first commercial aquaponics companies are starting up in Europe. The main focus has been on solving technology issues and optimizing production. However, increasing attention is now being paid to certification and regulations linked to aquaponics, as well as the marketing of products and services. The paper presents the results of a study whose main aim was to estimate consumers' knowledge about aquaponics and their acceptance of aquaponics products in different European regions. An on-line questionnaire was administered to the general public through the aquaponics network of Food and Agriculture COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action FA1305 "The EU Aquaponics Hub-Realising Sustainable Integrated Fish and Vegetable Production for the EU" in 16 European countries. The methodology includes univariate and multivariate statistical techniques. The results show that, on average, attitudes towards aquaponics were positive, showing no significant differences between those who already knew about aquaponics and those who only heard about it through the survey. More than 50% of respondents had never heard of aquaponics, whilst more than 70% had already heard of hydroponics. No more than 17% of respondents were willing to pay more for aquaponically produced products and no more than 40% more when compared to the price of products from conventional farming. The results confirm three different clusters of potential consumers of aquaponics products. They also suggest an urgent need for implementing integrated and holistic approaches involving all stakeholders in aquaponics, in order to define a marketing plan and efficient communication strategies. This COST action, other projects and public decision makers must invest in educating consumers about aquaponics through the organization of guided tours, thematic workshops and tastings of aquaponics products in order to raise their awareness about this new technology. It is absolutely urgent that public decision makers, in cooperation with aquaponics stakeholders, address the main institutional constraints, namely the introduction of aquaponics as an economic activity and the organic certification of aquaponics products.

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Section: The State Of the Art Of Aquaponicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Commercial Aquaponics Approaching the European Market: To Consumers’ Perceptions of Aquaponics Products in Europe

Miličić

Thorarinsdottir

Santos

et al. 2017

Water

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“…CWs have proven to be efficient at removing a wide range of organic and inorganic substances from different wastewater sources (Verhoeven & Meuleman 1999, Imfeld et al 2009, Vymazal 2010, 2011, Shelef et al 2013) including aquaculture (de Lange et al 2013, Turcios & Papenbrock 2014, Carballeira et al 2016. Aquaponics systems, on the other hand, have been mostly experimented with freshwater setups (Somerville et al 2014, dos Santos 2016. Both systems have the potential to be used as growth modules for halophytes and support their integration in marine aquaculture activities (Turcios & Papenbrock 2014).…”

Section: Halophytes -The New Players In Sustainable Marine Aquaculturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The integration of additional trophic levels greatly depends on the type of aquaculture systems in terms of production intensity and water salinity. Freshwater aqua culture allows for the integration of salt-sensitive extractive species such as vegetables commonly farmed in agriculture, often by coupling fish-rearing systems with hydroponics, an activity known as aquaponics (Graber & Junge 2009, Somer ville et al 2014, dos Santos 2016). However, a major portion (~5/6) of European aquaculture is marine and coastal water-based (FAO 2016), and extractive species need to be salt-tolerant to remediate saline effluents.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unravelling the potential of halophytes for marine integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA)— a perspective on performance, opportunities and challenges

Custódio¹,

Villasante²,

Cremades³

et al. 2017

Aquacult. Environ. Interact.

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The present study critically analyses peer-reviewed literature addressing the potential of halophytes to remediate nutrient-rich effluents from marine and coastal aquaculture, as well as the potential for their economic valorization, from human consumption to an untapped source of valuable secondary metabolites with pharmaceutical potential. The growing body of evidence discussed in this review supports the perspective that halophytes can become a new source of nutrition and other high-value compounds and be easily incorporated into saltwater-based integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) systems. In this context, halophytes act as extractors of dissolved inorganic nutrients, primarily nitrogen and phosphate, usually wasted in marine aquaculture farms. Phytoremediation using halophytes has been proven to be an efficient solution, and several ways exist to couple this practice with land-based marine aquaculture systems, namely through constructed wetlands and aquaponics. Focusing research on ecosystem-based approaches to aquaculture production will provide valuable data for producers and policy makers in order to improve decision making towards a sustainable development of this economic sector. Ecointensification of aquaculture through IMTA will potentially increase the overall productivity and resilience of the sector, and halophytes, in particular, are on the verge of becoming key players for the diversification and promotion of land-based IMTA. This work specifically documents the uncharted potential of Halimione portulacoides, an important halophyte in European salt marsh ecosystems, as a new extractive species for IMTA.

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“…On the other hand, considering future threats related to the exponential increment of food demand, scarcity of local resources such as water and land, and climate change, the adoption of soilless agriculture has been proposed as a sustainable alternative to produce food at an urban scale [5][6][7][8][9][10]. According to Komisar et al [10], "Reconnecting cities to their food systems is now emerging as one of the core components of the design of more sustainable urban settlements."…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Komisar et al [10], "Reconnecting cities to their food systems is now emerging as one of the core components of the design of more sustainable urban settlements." In this regard, hydroponic systems can be applied in buildings, which can improve supply chains while reducing transport distance and time of storage [8]. However, several authors have shown that soilless crop production can represent an important source of diffuse pollution, since the wastewater of these systems have a high concentration of nitrates and phosphorus and is normally drained and discharged to the environment [11][12][13][14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“WETWALL” - an innovative design concept for the treatment of wastewater at an urban scale

Castellar¹,

Farreras²,

González³

et al. 2018

dwt

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a b s t r a c tRising temperatures, increasing food demand and scarcity of water and land resources highlight the importance of promoting the sustainable expansion of agriculture to our urban environment, while preserving water resources. Treating urban wastewaters, such as greywater and hydroponic wastewater, may represent a strategic point for the implementation of urban farming, ensuring food security, reducing pressures on water resources and promoting climate change mitigation. The WETWALL design concept proposes a unique ecotechnology for secondary wastewater treatment at an urban scale, which brings the novelty of a modular living wall hybrid flow. This concept is based on the integration of two established nature-based solutions/ecomimetic designs: constructed wetlands and a modular living walls. First presented is an overview about the state of the art in the scope of living walls treating wastewater, in order to identify the main design aspects related to the performance of such systems, which mainly concerns the removal of nitrates and phosphates. Second, the WETWALL design concept is presented. A scheme regarding the selection of the main components, such as plants and substrate, is proposed, and potential structure developments and operation strategies are discussed. In addition, considering the scope of integrating the circular economy with the design process, potential interactions between this technology and the urban environment are discussed. The main goal of this article is to substantiate the potential of the WETWALL design concept as an innovative wastewater treatment at an urban scale.

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Smart cities and urban areas—Aquaponics as innovative urban agriculture

Cited by 82 publications

References 36 publications

Commercial Aquaponics Approaching the European Market: To Consumers’ Perceptions of Aquaponics Products in Europe

Commercial Aquaponics Approaching the European Market: To Consumers’ Perceptions of Aquaponics Products in Europe

Unravelling the potential of halophytes for marine integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA)— a perspective on performance, opportunities and challenges

“WETWALL” - an innovative design concept for the treatment of wastewater at an urban scale

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